Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Organizing!

I love organizing! My house might be a wreck, but my closets look fabulous, and there is nothing I love organizing better than school stuff. One of the reasons for this is because everything goes so much smoother when they are organized, and for me it makes the difference in homeschooling effectively or not. It also makes things easier to keep up and out of reach, which is really important here. If something is left out for more than a second, it will either be torn, chewed, or colored on before you even realize what's happening. Yes, I have twins.

This picture shows our school area, which also happens to be our dining room. Since it is our dining room, I wanted the school area to be attractive as well as functional. Last year I was able to keep pretty much all school related stuff in the dresser, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that this year, so shelves became a must. I sanded, stained, lacquered, and hung these shelves all by my self, and it wasn't that hard. It wasn't expensive either, which is always a big plus for us.

When I first started planning how much shelf space I would need, I first decided what would be more convenient left in the drawers. Coloring books, composition notebooks, etc. go in one drawer, paper in another. I have a drawer with folders like a filing cabinet, that I keep Anna's art work in, ( she has copious amounts) and of course a very messy supply drawer.

I have tried to keep it organized, but it never lasts longer that a few hours, so I have decided to let it be for now. One of these days I'll think of a really great way of keeping it all strait.

The library book bin and and the tub of math manipulatives are kept

on top of the dresser. I made the library book bin in an attempt to keep from having to pay another $40 library fine. (partially due to a book ending up in the laundry hamper, and then being washed...) Now all books are kept in the box, and we haven't had a over-due book since. :)

The only things on shelves are things that can be kept tidy. Basically books, boxes, and cans. The boxes are mostly the babies activity boxes, but I also keep Anna's handicraft stuff and flash cards in boxes.

All year 1 books are kept together, and ALWAYS put back immediately after they are read.

No more hunting around for books! I keep Anna's math meeting book and worksheets in a binder, so that it is on the shelf too, along with my scheduling binder.
I keep pencils, pens, markers, and school coins in cans. I used old formula cans and wrapped them in scrap booking paper to make them pretty, then wrapped clear package tape around them to make the cans durable. They've been great, and they look pretty too! I also keep my bug and bone collection up there.
No complaints thus far with my new system. Everything is in reach and accessible, and easy to put back. Now if I could just do something with that supply drawer...